Burial vault

ABSTRACT

A burial vault apparatus for the interment of bodies either partially or entirely below ground level. The vault is constructed of corrugated lightweight material which is airtight and moisture-proof and from which air may be evacuated, and such vault is provided with structure to resist vertical movement.

llited States Patent 1191 Yarbrough 1 BURIAL VAULT [76] Inventor: Glen A. Yarbrough, PO. Box 126,

Clarksville, Ark. 72830 221 Filed: Mar. 12, 1971 21 Appl.No.:123,647

[52] 11.8. CI 52/130, 52/140, 52/169 [51] Int. Cl. E04h 13/00, E04c 1/00 [58] Field of Search ..52/128-142,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1889 Sagendorph 220 72 10/1908 Harry 220 72 1,132,088 3/1915 Halladay et a1... 52/129 1,411,331 4/1922 Elmore 52/141 1,785,156 12/1930 Temple 52/140 2,806,278 9/1957 Crump 52/142 June 12, 1973 6/1961 Sexton 220/18 3,283,386 11/1966 Cenegy 52/140 1,167,291 1/1916 Graham 52/134 723,638 3/1903 7 Blair 52/166 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 181,825 6/1922 Great Britain 220/18 634,531 7/1963 Belgium 41,303 7/1968 Finland 220/72 Primary ExaminerFrank L. Abbott Assistant Examiner-James L. Ridgill, Jr. Att0meyA. Yates Dowell and A. Yates Dowell, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT A burial vault apparatus for the interment of bodies either partially or entirely below ground level. The vault is constructed of corrugated lightweight material which is airtight and moisture-proof and from which air may be evacuated, and such vault is provided with structure to resist vertical movement.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures "mum Jun 2m SHEEFIN? W- AT)! NEW 'mmm Y I 3.738.070

0000000 OOOOOOO dif BURIAL VAULT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention FIG. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a section similar to FIG. of a modified This invention relates generally to undertaking and 5 form of the invention.

the interment of bodies, and relates particularly to burial vaults adapted to receive one or more caskets and which can be sealed after the casket has been placed within the vault.

2. Description of the Prior Art Heretofore many efforts have been made to provide a burial vault in which a casket could be placed; however, these prior art efforts have not been entirely successful. As an example, the Weiper Pat. No. 1,073,377 discloses a vault with the upper portion located above ground level; however, this vault is constructed of relatively heavy porous building blocks which would permit the passage of air and liquid and would tend to settle and sink into the ground. The Fulton U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,186 is a burial vault of lightweight plastic having a top which can be sealed to the bottom; however, this structure requires a multiplicity of internal strengthening webs to support a large mass of earth which will be placed thereon. The Chandler et a]. U.S. Pat. No. 3,439,461 is a relatively heavy vault which is constructed of wet mix concrete with a plastic resinous liner and cured, in situ, to form an integral bond. The Cenegy U.S. Pat. No. 3,283,386 is a casket having inner and outer wall structure with a filler of polyurethane foam; however, this structure is not only difficult to make but is difficult to seal in a manner to exclude air and water.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a burial vault of lightweight construction having inner and outer liners of strong waterproof corrugated material with a foamable insulating material therebetween. The body of the vault normally is partially im bedded in the earth and is open to receive at least one casket. A top is adapted to be sealed onto the body in such a manner as to provide an airtight joint. The body is corrugated so that the surrounding earth will engage the corrugations and resist vertical movement of the body; To prevent the vault from floating in areas having a water table close to the surface, in the preferred modification, the body of the vault is provided with an outwardly extending perforated flange, and in a modified form the body is provided with a heavy weight in the lower portion thereof. If desired the body may have a tube providing communication between the interior and exterior thereof so that BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective illustrating one application of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective of the body of the vault.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With continued reference to the drawings, the burial vault of the present invention includes a body 10 and a top 11. The body 10 has a bottom wall 12, side walls 13 and end walls 14 and each of such side and end walls includes an outer liner l5 and an inner liner l6 separated by an insulating layer or filler 17. The inner and outer liners l5 and 16 are constructed of waterproof corrugated material, such as fiberglass, polyethelene, or other material, and the insulating layer 17 preferably is constructed of a foamable material such as polyurethane, styrofoam, or the like.

The top 11 preferably includes a relatively shallow tray 20 having a bottom wall 21 with upwardly extending side walls 22 and end walls 23. The bottom wall 21 is provided with a generally rectangular recess 24 of a size to receive the upper edges of the side and end walls 13 and 14 of the body 10. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the tray 20 is filled with a decorative material such as reinforced colored concrete 25, or such tray could be filled with a terrazzo mixture of aggregate and epoxy which would be polished to a desired sheen. A memorial inscription preferably is inscribed in the material filling of the tray 20. It is contemplated that a stone slab of marble, granite or the like could replace the tray 20 and concrete 25. Also, it is contemplated that a window of tempered glass, clear acrylic or the like (not shown) could be inserted within the top 11.

As illustrated best in FIGS. 4 and 5, the top 11 may have an insulating enlargement 26 disposed in the area within the confines of the recess 24 and such enlargement includes a fiberglass liner 27 bonded to the tray 20 and has a bottom wall 28 spaced from such tray. The area between the bottom wall 21 of the tray and the bottom wall 28 of the enlargement can be filled with an insulating layer 29 of any desired material, such as a foamable polyurethane or the like.

With particular reference to FIG. 5, a sealant 30 is placed within the recesses 24 before the top 11 is placed on the body 10 in such a manner that an airtight waterproof connection is formed between the body and the top. If desired a tube 31 can be mounted in one of the side walls 13 of the body in a position to provide communication between the interior of the body and the exterior thereof. After the top 10 has been applied, the air within the vault may be evacuated by connecting a conventional vacuum pump (not shown) to the tube 31. When the air has been evacuated, the tube 31 is pinched or sealed to maintain at least a partial vacuum within the vault to delay the decomposition process of the body tissues.

Normally earth engaging the corrugations of the side and end walls 13 and 14, respectively, of the body 10 will prevent any vertical movement of the vault; however, in sandy soil and in areas where the water table is close to the surface of the earth, additional means should be provided to prevent heaving and sinking of the vault. -In the preferred form of the invention the body 10 is provided with an outwardly extending flange 32 having a multiplicity of openings 33 therein. The

flange may be connected to the body by bonding the same directly to the side walls 13 and end walls 14, or as illustrated in FIG. 4, the flange 32 constitutes the outer edges of a plate 34 adhered to the bottom wall 12 of the body. The flange 32 extends outwardly a substantial distance from the body so that earth located above and below the same will prevent any vertical movement of the body.

With reference to FIG. 6, in areas where themajor concern is the heaving or floating of the body 19 by hydrostatic pressure, the flange 32 may be omitted and the body 10 may be deeper than the previous modification and the lower portion of such body can be filled with concrete, rocks or other heavy material 35 which will supply additional weight to the vault.

In the use of the device, a hole of a desired length, width and depth is dug in the earth and preferably a layer of wet sand or a mixture of sand and gravel is placed in the bottom of the hole. Thereafter the body 10 is placed on the layer of sand or gravel and earth is filled in around the sides and ends of the body. When the body includes a flange 32, several inches of sand or gravel may be placed on top of the flange before the area between the hole and the body is filled in with earth. The earth preferably is tamped while it is being replaced so that the earth will fill the undulations between the corrugated sides and ends of the body 10. After the body has been partially imbedded within the earth, the top 11 can be placed thereon ready for use. When a body is to be interred, the top is removed to permit a coifin to be lowered into the body 10 after which the sealant 30 is placed within the recess 24 and the top 11 again is placed on the body 10 with the upper edge of the body being received within the recess 24. If desired, a vacuum pump can be connected to the tube 31 so that the air within the body 10 can be evacu' ated at which time atmospheric air pressing downwardly on the top 11 will cause the sealant 30 to form a more perfect seal. After the air has been evacuated,

the tube 31 is sealed so that air, and moisture will be excluded from the body 10 and the decomposition of the corpse will be delayed.

I claim:

1. A generally rectangular burial vault comprising a body having substantially horizontally corrugated side and end walls and an integral bottom wall, portions of said 'side walls and end walls extending above the ground, each of said side and end walls having a spaced complementary liner of waterproof material, a layer of foamable insulating material disposed between and connecting said walls and said liners, a top for said body, said top having a layer of material with a decorative upper surface for receiving an inscription, said layer extending laterally outwardly of said side and end walls, the lower portion of said top including a recess of a size and configuration to receive the upper edge of said side and end walls, a sealant receivable within said recess for bonding said top to said body to form an airtight compartment, and tube means connected in and extending through one of said side walls above the ground and providing communication between the interior and exterior of said body so that air can be evacuated therefrom after the top has been scaled onto said body, whereby the corrugated sides of said body substantially prevent vertical movement when the body is at least partially imbedded in the earth.

2. The structure of claim 1 including at least one flange connected to said bottom wall and extending outwardly from at least two sides of said body.

3. The structure of claim 1 including a heavy mass mounted on said bottom wall within said body to resist upward movement of said body by hydrostatic pressure.

4. The structure of claim 1 in which said top includes a downwardly extending enlargement located intermediate the liners of said side and end walls. 

1. A generally rectangular burial vault comprising a body having substantially horizontally corrugated side and end walls and an integral bottom wall, portions of said side walls and end walls extending above the ground, each of said side and end walls having a spaced complementary liner of waterproof material, a layer of foamable insulating material disposed between and connecting said walls and said liners, a top for said body, said top having a layer of material with a decorative upper surface for receiving an inscription, said layer extending laterally outwardly of said side and end walls, the lower portion of said top including a recess of a size and configuration to receive the upper edge of said side and end walls, a sealant receivable within said recess for bonding said top to said body to form an airtight compartment, and tube means connected in and extending through one of said side walls above the ground and providing communication between the interior and exterior of said body so that air can be evacuated therefrom after the top has been sealed onto said body, whereby the corrugated sides of said body substantially prevent vertical movement when the body is at least partially imbedded in the earth.
 2. The structure of claim 1 including at least one flange connected to said bottom wall and extending outwardly from at least two sides of said body.
 3. The structure of claim 1 including a heavy mass mounted on said bottom wall within said body to resist upward movement of said body by hydrostatic pressure.
 4. The structure of claim 1 in which said top includes a downwardly extending enlargement located intermediate the liners of said side and end walls. 